LIFESTREAM MASSAGE TECHNIQUE

This is a unique signature massage taught only at LifeStream Massage School in Napa Valley, Calif.

This is a method of bodywork developed to fulfill a need for the busy massage therapist, especially those working in resorts, spas, and health clubs.

Students learn a one-hour, full-body massage that provides clients with the relaxation and enjoyment of a Swedish massage with the deeper release of deep-tissue work. They also are taught to use their body efficiently in a manner that prevents injury and burnout, yet increases stamina to maintain a busy practice.

(See also: LIFESTREAM MASSAGE TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

auric massage technique: Manual adjunct to angelic healing that is a form of aura cleansing (aura balancing). Its apparent principle is that health accompanies bodily harmony, which results from the restoration of harmony to the higher bodies that surround the body.

(See also: Auric massage technique, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

ONSEN TECHNIQUE

Onsen is a Japanese word meaning at rest or at peace. It is a state of mind, but can also be a state of body. Developer Richard Phaigh translated it to mean balance, particularly length and strength balance in soft tissue, to form the basis of this new protocol.

Onsen includes three key components - muscle energy technique, post-isometric relaxation, and transverse friction massage.

(See also: ONSEN TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

Cayce/Reilly massage (Cayce/Reilly approach to massage, Cayce/Reilly method, Cayce/Reilly technique): Holistic form of massage named after psychic Edgar Cayce (see The Cayce Approach to Health and Healing) and physiotherapist Dr. Harold J. Reilly, coauthor of The Edgar Cayce Handbook for Health Through Drugless Therapy A.R.E. Press, 1975). It includes energy balancing.

(See also: Cayce Reilly massage, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE

The Alexander Technique is movement education in which the student is taught to sit, stand, and move in ways that reduce physical stress on the body.

Alexander Technique teachers use gentle manual guidance and verbal cues to improve students’ posture and movement patterns. A lesson or group class typically involves basic movements such as sitting, standing, walking, bending, reaching, carrying, and lying down. It may also involve more specialized activities such as playing a musical instrument, working at a computer, etc. T

he teacher’s manual guidance stresses the adjustment of the head, neck, and torso relationship. In beginning lessons, the teacher closely monitors the student. Later, the student learns to monitor herself, ultimately learning a unique self-management process - an understanding of balance and dynamic postural control. F. M. Alexander, an Australian actor, developed the technique in the late 1800s as a result of attempting to solve his own physical problem of losing his voice on stage.

He discovered that misuse of the neuromuscular activity of the head, neck, and spine caused maladaptive functioning and that this movement could be corrected. As he began to teach his technique, he found that his students’ overall health improved and that the technique could be used to address a wide array of problems.

(See also: ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

LENAIR TECHNIQUE

This energy medicine therapy abates addictions, compulsions, fears, phobias, and stress-related problems with a hands-on, noninvasive treatment. It employs electromagnetic and bioelectrical modalities and works within a client’s body.

(See also: LENAIR TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

M TECHNIQUE

The ‘M’ Technique is a series of stroking movements performed in a set sequence. Each movement, identified with a mnemonic name, is repeated three times. Because the technique is structured in terms of order and number, the technique is completely reproducible and therefore useful in research.

The technique was created by Jane Buckle, a critical care nurse, for the very fragile or critically ill patient and produces a measurable parasympathetic response. The ‘M’ stands for manual.

(See also: M TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

RADIANCE TECHNIQUE

This technique is a science of universal energy, taught in seminars by authorized instructors throughout the world. It is a seven-level technique people learn to use for themselves and for others.

People from all walks of life learn this technique to use for stress release and energy balancing. Students learn a variety of ways to apply and use unconditional, transcendental energy in their work, play, and everyday lives. These students are taught a basic 12-position, hands-on session that is to be practiced on the self for at least an hour when possible.

Authorized instructors of the Radiance Technique do not license or certify students as practitioners. Such licensing and certification is up to the individual student or practitioner according to the requirements of the community in which they live and work.

(See also: RADIANCE TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

RAINDROP TECHNIQUE

Originated by D. Gary Young, raindrop technique is a noninvasive tool for helping to correct defects in the curvature of the spine caused by viruses and bacteria that lie dormant there. Antimicrobial essential oils are used to reduce inflammation by killing the viral agents, thus bringing the body into structural and electrical alignment.

The oils (primarily thyme, oregano, birch, cypress, peppermint, and basil) are dispensed like little drops of rain from a height of about six inches above the back and massaged along the vertebrae. The oils used in this 45-minute treatment continue to work for the next five to seven days.

(See also: RAINDROP TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

marma therapy (Ayurvedic lymphatic massage, Ayurvedic massage, marma technique): A form of massage that stimulates marmas - 107 vital, epidermal, invisible but palpable junction points between mind and matter.

(See also: Marma therapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

BOWEN TECHNIQUE

Developed by Thomas Ambrose Bowen of Australia in the 1960s and 1970s, this hands-on, light-touch body therapy consists of gentle rolling movements over muscle bellies and tendons to stimulate the body’s own healing mechanisms.

Originally intended to help people suffering from muscular-skeletal problems, Bowen Technique has also been successful with many other conditions, including asthma and respiratory ailments in children and pre-teens.

(See also: BOWEN TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

MUSCLE ENERGY TECHNIQUE

Muscle energy is a direct, noninvasive manual therapy used to normalize joint dysfunction and increase range of motion. The practitioner evaluates the primary areas of dysfunction in order to place the affected joints in precise positions that enable the client to perform gentle isometric contractions. These directed movements help correct neuromuscular and joint difficulties.

(See also: MUSCLE ENERGY TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

MUSCLE RELEASE TECHNIQUE

This technique combines compression, extension, movement, and breath to give therapists a tool to provide relief from pain, treating such conditions as carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic low back pain, plantar fasciitis, sciatica, tennis elbow, knee pain, shin splints, frozen shoulder, hammer toes, piriformis syndrome, tendinitis, trigger finger, and much more.

(See also: MUSCLE RELEASE TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

MYOSKELETAL ALIGNMENT TECHNIQUE

A holistic approach to relief of back and neck pain based on concepts and principles from Rolfing, osteopathy, and related physical medicine.

Focused on detecting and correcting strain patterns to prevent back/neck pain, this technique combines deep-tissue work with assisted stretching and non-force spinal alignment.

(See also: MYOSKELETAL ALIGNMENT TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

EMF BALANCING TECHNIQUE

In an hour-long session, clients experience their own electromagnetic field and the patterns within it. The practitioner carries out a series of graceful, t’ai chi-like movements, while the client lies on a massage table. During some parts of the session, the practitioner will gently place their hands on the body to facilitate the flow of energy.

(See also: EMF BALANCING TECHNIQUE, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

Chi Nei Tsang (CNT, healing light massage, Internal Organ Chi Massage, Organ Chi Transformation Massage, Taoist Chi Nei Tsang, Taoist healing light technique): Component of the Healing Tao.

Chi Nei Tsang is a system of Chinese deep healing that involves massaging points in the navel area, a storehouse for cosmic, earthly, prenatal, and universal forces. The method promotes rejuvenation in patients without causing burnout in practitioners. Its theory posits healing light energy and a bodily system of chi and meridians.

(See also: Chi Nei Tsang, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

BART (Bonding and Relaxation Techniques)

Based on the parent education program of infant massage by Virnala McClure, BART is a program of stroking for individuals with, or at risk for, developmental delays.

Designed to empower parents and instill parental confidence, as well as nourish the bond between parent and child, BART aids in relaxation, normalization of muscle tone, respiratory and gastrointestinal functioning, sensory integration, and behavioral organization.

(See also: BART, Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

knife massage (knife therapy): A technique that involves tapping acupoints with the blade of a cleaver.

(See also: Knife massage, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Radiant Healing Massage Method (Radiant Healing Massage): Combination of massage techniques that was developed because all modes of massage are not equally able to unlock one's healing potential.

(See also: Radiant Healing Massage Method, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Odyssey Massage: a method that includes abhyanga, aromatherapy, Vital Touch techniques, and modes of massage called Garshana and Vishesh.

(See also: Odyssey Massage, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)